Hello, my name is Mike; I design and build kinetic toys and automata. I use mainly timber but enjoy incorporating metals, fabrics, plastics and whatever else is available. My toys explore mechanical principles such as cams, cranks, levers and linkages. I base my designs on animal forms, robots, mythical animals, dinosaurs and whatever motif or theme I find myself attracted to. I began making kinetic and mechanical timber toys as part of my job as a teacher of craft design and technology, twenty seven years ago. I later expanded this into producing robust examples to entertain my own small children. I find producing mechanical toys and automata to be the perfect synthesis between craftsmanship, engineering and artistic expression. I love to

I have always needed to be making things, as time has gone on these get more elaborate. The toys are the commercial side of this necessity. There are many of the earlier toys in the range ( I started in 1981) ,now it also includes items that are only possible with modern computer controlled tools, and many in between: I make small and large arks using David Plagersons animals. Spinning tops with instructions.
Colourful moving hanging discs. Oak baby walkers and chairs. There is also a sophisticated sculpture set, a balancing set of 5 dolphins in UK hardwoods and more. Please see the web site for pictures and descriptions.

I trained as a painter at Camberwell School of Art. My initial inspiration came from the collection of European folk toys in the Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood where I took my recently arrived Bangladeshi students. They and I responded to the simplicity of design, strength of colour and fluidity of brushstroke decoration. I became particularly interested in the Noah\'s Ark sets reinforcing my love of hand-held objects and collections that can be arranged as a tableau.

28 Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5AD

D B Crafts

| Tel: 01392 217128

I live in Exeter Devon and I have been making toys for about 20 years.
Like my father who was always making toys for myself and my three brothers, I was interested in carrying on the tradition. I am trying to keep the tradition of wooden toy making alive and I am very interested in reviving old traditional toys. All my toys are made to British toy making standards. I am also chairman of the Mid Devon crafts guild. We take pride in our work and all our members produce products to a very high standard.
I have recently produced items for local churches in the Devon area. Commissions are always welcome and I would be glad to make that special item for that very special person.

Doumdims Dolls made by me who always love dolls.
The dolls have bodies made of fabric and felt stuffed with polyester. I give them painted faces and dress them as their characters suggest. I never know what the making process has in store for me and am always surprised by the outcome. Each doll is a unique work of love and my hope is always to find them owners who will love them just as much as I do. Each doll comes with its own individual production number and certificate and a promise of my personal continuing interest in them.
I am always happy to advise on cleaning and on any repairs they might need. I also accept commissions for portrait dolls based on clients personal photographs or my own drawings.

Dr Zigs Giant Bubbles are environmentally conscious and ethically sound. A full six years of research have gone into every bubble! Our bubbles are perfect for making friends, having fun, and building confidence. Dr Zigs giant bubbles and kits are helping to change the world one bubble at a time.

Hidden away in a corner of the Lake District, Jeremiah makes beautiful toys that are a joy to hold, and inspire creative play for all ages. Specialising in Diorama pieces, it all started with the humble small tree, Since then, working closely with wooden toy enthusiasts and a local nursery, the product range is constantly growing, and has spread to Rocks, Mountains, Bushes and an Ice Kingdom which includes the Snow Queen's Castle. All the items are made from FSC Certified Beech, and finished in Natural Oils and Water Based Paints. All toys are certified to EN71 for all ages.

We are a family run business based in Swindon, Wiltshire, comprising of carpenter Chris and his wife Beth. Our first toy boxes were made for our own children more than four years ago and we have been making them for local families since. Due to their popularity, we decided to launch them nationally and Dreambox was born!

Toymaking by my own definition is license to exaggerate the silliness and quirkiness of life that appeals to everyone who is a child at heart.
I work in toys because I love the fun, the colour and the movement that this gives. My influences are many and varied from every day events to fairy tales, nursery rhymes, in fact anything with humour in it. I work principally in wood but will use a variety of other materials such as glass beads or easily worked metals. I especially enjoy making automata which provides a magic event to the turner of the handle and provides them with a great deal of pleasure.

Hello, my name is Rachel. I make handcrafted heirloom dolls using traditional jointing methods and natural materials.
Each doll is unique and comes wrapped in museum quality paper and a sturdy box.
My background is in interior design though I've always favoured making things with my hands. After the birth of my children I really wanted to make them special gifts and so made the first doll as a present for our daughter which was both traditional and yet compliant with modern safety standards.
Sustainability is important to me so the organic wool stuffing and doll hair has been locally sourced and is warm and naturally fire retardant.
Passionate about traditional crafts and values...I am also a member of the Heritage Craft Association.

Peepul are little wooden peg dolls, hand-painted in Oxfordshire, UK. Primarily designed as toys for children, the very first Peepul were made for our own toddler, George. Making them for other people made sense once our own house started getting overrun with tiny wooden folk. They are named Peepul after the lovely way George points at them and shouts \\\'peepul!\\\'
Many of our peg doll sets are inspired by Waldorf-style educational concepts and the natural rhythms of our day-to-day lives - the moon, the weather and the seasons. Others are inspired by a passion for small world play and a hankering after simple, traditional and sustainable toys that last a lifetime.
We are a small family business and we aim to create high quality toys in the most sustainable way we can.

Through my doll making I try to bring back a part of childhood that seems forgotten. That innocence of playtime which only requires the very basic to stimulate a universe of imagination.

My dolls have simple expressions and use natural materials to allow the child's creativity to develop. When designing a doll I think about the child and how they will play with the doll, their age and what they need their doll to be. All my dolls are CE marked and safe for children.

I care about our environment so I use natural materials and make dolls to last. I source high quality fabrics and the stuffing is 100% British lambswool.

Having seen the varying styles of Balance Bikes on the market, I decided to make one for my grandson that actually looked like a racing motorcycle. After doing this the local interest grew so much that I was compelled to go a step further and start the company to produce the bikes. Each Bike is totally unique and customised online to the customers requirements with a choice of exhausts with various positions, Radiator and engine details along with personalised naming , logos or numbers.
The website will be up and running late September 2017

I have been a full time maker for over thirty years and my work has covered a wide range, from dolls houses and moving toys for children and adults to automata, kinetic sculpture and exhibition design.
I try to make things which move in simple but interesting ways: Traditional moving toys have influenced me strongly, and I have travelled in Europe, Indonesia, Mexico, India and Japan in search of them.
My work incorporates a wide range of natural, reused and recycled materials. Recently they include driftwood, which I like using firstly because collecting it involves business trips to the seaside, and secondly because its previous uses often still haunt it, and its time at sea builds its character.

Our wooden toys and pub games are the best of British quality craftsmanship and games will last for years and are sure to become toy box treasures. All our toys and games are handmade in our workshop in Suffolk using quality materials.We can also personalise gift from our online toyshop with a personal choice of name and colour.

I am a Toymaker based in North Wales , I pride myself on using loacal sourced hard woods , all our toys are cut on a scrollsaw and are hand painted by myself using non - toxic paints. I also take on commissions and do a Wooden Toy repair service.

Little Toy Dogs are fine quality, heirloom toys, designed by artist and illustrator Alice Wood and made by hand in her London studio.
Original patterns are created from Alice's drawings and the dogs are sewn in mohair fur, wool felt and other fabrics. Each one has cotter pin jointed legs, glass eyes, and hand dyed and embroidered details which make every dog unique. They also have their own accessories: coats, collars, rosettes and scarves. They are highly characterful small textile sculptures, intended for older children and collectors.
Alice trained in pattern cutting before studying BA Illustration at Camberwell School of Art and MA Children's Book Illustration at Cambridge School of Art.

Our Rocking Horses are individually hand carved & finished in Yorkshire, England. ï¿½They are available only from us, the makers, so we are able to keep our prices affordable whilst maintaining the highest standard of quality.
We also supply Plans, Books, DVD's, Courses, Timber and Accessories for woodworkers of all abilities.

Rocking Horse Yard, Main Street, Fangfoss, YORK, YO41 5JH

Tom Karen

| Tel: 01223 248382

I adore children and love designing toys and games for them. I have made a great variety of them, working with different materials, always robust, offering challenge and reward. And I value feed-back.
The fruit, made for Louis - one of six grandchildren - has form, colour, names, can be stacked in a variety of ways and there are fifteen pieces for arithmetical exercises. And it is very easy to make.

Clare Pattinson (Turner Handel Traditional Toys) began making automata five years ago. It is the eclectic combination of skills: humour, illustration, caricature and mechanics that inspire her. With a background in ceramics, illustration and animation, it was whilst training to become a plumber, in 2009, that she began to think in a more mechanical way. She enjoys pulling items apart and examining them, and is not so worried about them breaking or not fitting back together again. In a world saturated with increasingly complex technology, these quirky mechanical toys show off their workings - springs, levers gears and cams. They creak into life and are delightful to engage with. Laughter, colour and movement are the elixir of art and life.

Our toys are hand crafted using only natural materials such as leather and wood.
We have travelled the world to festivals selling our toys.
Countries visited include: Lofton Islands, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Faeroe Islands, United Kingdom
Our reputation is second to none and we are known and respected by many in the Viking community.
We teach children attending the events about the Viking tradition. They play for hours with our non technical toys, much healthier than alone with a computer game.

Welcome to Wendover Wood! If you have a love of all things wooden then you have come to the right place.
It is this love of wood that has led us to setup this small business based in Wendover, Buckinghamshire. We are a two man team that operates out of two garden workshops nestled between our own allotment and beautifully landscaped pond. We design and make our own range of handmade wooden animal ornaments, toys and puzzles. We combine the use of old fashioned techniques and modern equipment to created beautiful gifts for all ages. We are on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wendover-Wood/1418782185049524?ref=hl and on Not On The High Street - http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/wendoverwood

Beautifully designed toys, handcrafted in hardwood, that encourage children to learn from the experiences associated with taking things apart and putting them back together. The more complex toys come with their own tools set, hardwood case and engraved brass plaque. These toys appeal to a very wide age range. Some of the toys, particularly those targeted at the under 3s, can be taken apart and put together again, without the use of tools, just by using fingers.
All of the toys are finished to a high standard and as such may attract the attention of collectors, however, they are designed primarily to be played with. All products comply with the EN71 Toy safety standards.

We have been making wooden toys on our (very) small croft in Shetland since 1998. Our toys are inspired by everyday life here in the islands - crofting, inter-island ferries and aeroplanes. A lot of experimentation goes on in the workshop, especially with automata, and, because work is home and home is work, there is a great deal of discussion about what is possible, what is likely impossible and what could be lots of fun if only there was a way of achieving it.